3. Is the Illinois defense still MIA?
Illinois used to be a good defensive team. During the Brad Underwood era, this has always been a strong point for the program.
This season has been a headscratcher, though. The Illini went from being good defensively to now being one of the worst defensive teams in the Big Ten.
Can Illinois snap out of the defensive struggles against the Nittany Lions? Will the Illinois defense still be missing in action?
You can see the slow but steady rise in Illinois’ opponents scoring average. Through December 2, we were only allowing 58.7 points per game. By January 2, we upped that to 65.5 points per game allowed. By February 4, that number rose again to 69.6 points per game allowed.
Today, Illinois is giving up an average of 70.7 points per game. This number has grown over the past few weeks as well.
Illinois just squeaked out a win on the road against Maryland. We gave up 80 points in that game. This is the third 80-point game Illinois has given up in the last four contests and the fourth in the last seven games.
In the six-game span that Terrence Shannon Jr. was suspended, Illinois gave up 72.8 points per game, which isn’t bad for Big Ten play. In the eight games since his return, the Illini are surrendering 77.0 points per game.
The adjustment of Shannon back in the lineup has to play a part in this bad defense. I also believe Luke Goode has taken a step back the last couple of weeks defensively. Illinois seems to be more focused on scoring the basketball rather than playing sound defense. Let’s see if the defense arrives against a wounded Penn State squad.